ofo is the world’s first and largest dock-less bike sharing platform and has set off a trend with companies like Mobike closely following in its tyre marks. The bikes can be found in 250 cities across the world and are being rolled out in London. Although the bikes are currently based in Islington, Hackney and the City, cyclists can take and leave them anywhere in London – good news for Boris bike-deprived south Londoners who want to get around quicker without boarding a stuffy bus.

Dock-less bikes look to be a growing trend as Londoners work towards a greener and cleaner city, but what exactly is a dock-less bike and how do you use one?

I went to find out…

Downloading the app

A quick search and tap is all it takes to download the ofo app within minutes. It then asks for your email address and phone number, which I seem to give away without a second thought these days. You also have to input your bank card details – I’m a bit more reluctant to do this but it only takes a moment’s hesitation before I go ahead and submit them. And that’s it, I’m ready to go.

Finding a bike

The app takes you to a detailed map pinning your current GPS location and your nearest available ofo bikes. The pin was sensitive on the touch-screen and it moved around a lot when zooming in and out of the map, so I had to keep centring it back to my correct location. However, this is good for if you want to drop the pin in another location that you’re heading to and want to get a bike from.

I was surprised to find that the nearest bike was a fifteen-minute walk away. This is 2018 and I’m a millennial who expects instantaneous services for my every want and need – blame Uber, Netflix and Just Eat. Slightly miffed that there wasn’t a bike just around the corner, I followed the helpful map directions to find my bike.

I found it just in front of someone’s garden, which made me feel a bit weird about taking it.

Payment

Your first half hour ride on an ofo bike is free – hurrah! Otherwise, it’s 50p per half hour with a daily capped fair at £5. You need to use a bank card to top up your account on the app.

Getting on the saddle

After looking around to see if anyone was watching me take a bike from someone’s garden, I quickly scanned the barcode on the bike’s rear wheel and the Bluetooth/3G smart lock almost instantly unlocked. I wheeled it around the corner to feel a little less like I was about to be accused of theft by a neighbour.

The seat is a doddle to adjust, but it didn’t quite extend high enough to comfortably accommodate my 5ft 10 self. Setting off, the bike didn’t feel as sturdy as a Boris bike but I did feel a lot more nimble on it. It’s designed with solid tyres that don’t deflate, an LED headlight, a solar powered rear light and three gears. If you spot a fault or damage, the app lets you report a request for repair.

Ending the trip

Once reaching my destination (Tesco, in case you’re wondering) I was a little unsure where to park the bike for the next user. The website states: ‘You can park your ofo bicycle outside of the pedestrian right of way that complies with local laws and does not obstruct traffic.’ It felt quite wrong just ditching a bike on the street, but I made sure it was on a wide pavement. You then have to locate the lock to slide down underneath the seat (it took me about five embarrassing minutes to work this out) then end the trip on your app.

What’s good?

Anything that encourages city cycling is obviously fantastic and it’s been great to see so many people whizz by on these distinctively yellow bikes. As a south London resident, it’s a relief to see dockless bikes in lieu of Boris bikes and the underground. The app is straightforward to download and use, and I’d say 50p for a half hour cycle isn’t a bad deal at all. The bikes themselves aren’t great but they feel perfectly safe and fine for getting from A to B or just having a ride around the park. The fact that you don’t need to dock them in a specific place gives so much freedom and flexibility, but I’d always consider the next person and try to leave it somewhere super accessible. The app also tells you how far you’ve cycled, how many calories you’ve burned and how much you have reduced your carbon footprint by choosing to cycling instead of taking public transport.

And it’s just good to share the cycling love with such a social incentive, right?

What’s bad?

They’re not a reliable mode of transport because you never know where or when you’ll find one quickly, so I wouldn’t ever factor them in when commuting or heading somewhere for a specific time. The motion of taking bike from someone’s garden or even cul-de-sac can leave you feeling a little conspicuous, especially as this is a fairly new incentive that not many people will know about. Oh, and the seat situation could be more comfortable for taller people.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Yes, an excellent application of modern technology and provided at no cost to taxpayers. Using London’s schemes and seeing how they’ve operated over the last 6 months the biggest improvement would be for the authorities to insist on marked hubs on street (lines and signs to give a physical presence) which are stocked with bikes by the operator, so users wouldn’t have to hunt the streets. It would be more reliable and operators could be requested as part of their permission to operate that they incentivise users to dock at the hubs, although leaving bikes elsewhere could be permitted at least for a short period of time this minimising those left in less appropriate locations. It needs to be regarded as part of a public transport rather than just a bonus if a bike can be located as is all too often the case now. A way of penalising users who keep bikes on private land needs developing. Perhaps a photo of the location bikes are parked as part of the journey completion process & A cable lock to fix the bike to a post might discourage third parties moving or knocking parked bikes. Currently the system isn’t ideal and could I feel lead to failure in the longer term.

David, do you not see the irony in what you’re suggesting. You want a cycle hire scheme with allocated spaces for collecting or leaving bikes. That already exists with Santander Cycles. Yes they can be more prevalent in outter London areas but they are still the best and most reliable bikes around.

These dockless companys are Chinese backed hedge funds who merely want your phone and movement data, the bikes are a vessel. You have to sign up and accept all kinds of access to your phone details. Plus you are not covered under insurance, the bikes are cycled at your risk with no guarantee they’re ok to ride. This will end badly, just google image search china dockless bike piles and see what is coming this way..!

I got really excited about the Mobike scheme in Islington, until I rode one. With supreme effort you can get them up to about 12mph, any incline and you are pretty much standing to move them, any decline and you reach max cadence in about a second. On the flat you get overtaken by joggers. You have your knees up by your ears as the saddle adjusts heigh enough for someone about 5’2″. A few months into the scheme and they seem to have disappeared from Archway, Hornsey Road, Elthorne Park and Finsbury Park. Huge dissapointment.

@Tom I’ve ridden Mobike a few times. The slowness seems down to a few things: being single speed, heavy and the extra effort to power the dynamos to run the electronics. I’d be interested to try the Ofo to see if it improves on these. On the plus side the process of unlocking and locking the bike again is super easy

The cycles are always bad quality. more than cycles, their app is pathetic and always had billing issues. and more over, they dont respond to your grievances. I dont encourage anyone to use this bike. i had very bad and horrible experience once as the bike broken.

I have found one of your bikes hidden in undergrowth in E11 1LU. It’s locking mechanism has been removed. I have taken it to a secure location. Please advise as to how it can be recovered/returned to you.
Colin